Air powered rotor launcher



y 9 i w. J. BURGESS 2,938,299

AIR POWERED ROTOR LAUNCHER Filed March 3, 1959 I 'INVENTOR. "g1. LIAM J.Bunosss Uni ed S w? Pa gjo 5.5

AIR POWERED ROTOR LAUNCHER William J. Burgess, Nohly, Mont.

Filed Mar. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 796,891

1 Claim. (Cl. 46-82) This invention relates to toys and moreparticularly to an air powered toy.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an air powered rotorlauncher that can be easily operated by any child or adult, that willsend a heavier than air rotor into flight in response to initial highspeed rotation thereof by pressurized air supplied from the mouth of theoperator.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air poweredrotor launcher of the above type which contemplates the vertical ascentof an air powered rotor from the launcher in response to initialrotation thereof by air pressure responsive turbine wheel vanes forminga part of the launcher.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an air powered rotorlauncher bearing the above objects in mind which is of simpleconstruction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive tomanufacture and efiicient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention,reference may be had to the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

*Figure l is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, of a rotorlauncher made in accordance with one form of the present invention inoperative use;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the assembly shown in Figure 1, withparts broken away;

*Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a slightly modified form ofconstruction; and

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the assembly shown in Figure 3.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, and more particularly toFigures 1 and 2 thereof, an air powered rotor launcher toy made inaccordance with the present invention is shown to include an elongatedtube 12 having a longitudinal bore 13 extending throughout the entirelength thereof that communicates with the interior of a segmentalcircular guard or cylindrical type housing 14 which defines a space 16within which a turbine wheel 18 is rotatably supported. Said turbinewheel includes a spindle supported upon the bottom circular wall of saidhousing and journalled in a bearing type circular aperture in the uppercircular wall of said housing. This turbine wheel has a plurality ofvanes 20 integrally secured with said spindle which extend radiallyoutwardly at an acute angle relative to the periphery of the turbinewheel. Thus, air passing through the longitudinal bore 13 and suppliedfrom the mouth of the operator, impinges against the blades 20 to effectrotation of the turbine wheel 18 within the guard 14. The upper end ofthe spindle 15 includes an extension 22 that extends through the bearingtype aperture in the upper wall of the guard 14 and terminates in anon-circular stud portion 28 that is slidably 2,938,299 n Pat n e May 190 received within a similarly shaped central opening in the hub 25 of arotor. I

The rotor further includes an annular rim 24, a hub portion with anon-circular vertical bore therein, and four integral radially extendingblades 26 which lie in planes which define acute angles with the generalplane of the rotor. Thus, as soon as the rotor attains a suflicientspeed, while being driven by the turbine wheel 18, to apply suflicientlift to the blades 26, the rotor will rise vertically, as shown inFigure 1, out of engagement with the stud 28 of the spindle 22, and willassume free flight for a substantial distance.

In Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing, a slightly modified form ofconstruction 30 is shown wherein the toy includes an elongated tubularmember '32 having a pressurized air outlet at one end, adjacent to whicha wire frame 34 is secured, such as by a plurality of convolutions 36 atone end of the wire frame. The opposite end of the wire frame includes aspindle portion 38 upon which a turbine wheel 40 having a plurality ofvanes 42, is rotatably supported. This turbine wheel includes a stud 48and an integral non-circular extension 50 that is slidably receivedwithin a similarly shaped opening in the hub 51 of the rotor. This rotoralso includes an annular ring 44 and a plurality of radially extendingblades 46 that define acute angles with the general plane of the rotor.Thus, air supplied by the mouth of the operator passes through the tube32 and impinges upon the vanes 42 of the turbine wheel 40, thuseffecting rotation of the rotor therewith until the rotor attainssufiicient speed to impart lift to the blades 46 that will raise it intofree flight from the turbine wheel stud 50.

It will now be recognized that all of the operating parts of the presentinvention can be conveniently constructed from plastic, paper, or metalproducts, except that in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 3 and 4,the frame 34 is preferably constructed from metallic wire.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shallbe understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope ofthe present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire Patent of the United States is:

In a toy of the character described, the combination with a verticalcylindrical housing having an annular side wall, a non-perforatedhorizontal circular bottom wall, and a horizontal, circular top wall,said top wall embodymg a circular bearing type aperture centrallylocated therein but otherwise imperforated, an elongated tube connectedto said housing in eccentric relation with said side wall thereof andcommunicating with the interior of said housing, a turbine Wheelhorizontally and rotatably arranged within said housing, said turbinewheel having a vertical cylindrical spindle with a plurality of integralvanes, said vanes extending radially outwardly from said spindle and atan acute angle relative to the periphery of the turbine wheel, saidspindle extending vertically above and below said vanes, the lowerportion of said spindle extending downwardly from said turbine wheelbeing relatively short and having its lower free end in rotatablebearing contact with the non-perforated upper surface of the closedlower wall'of said housing, the portion of said spindle extendingupwardly from said turbine wheel extending through said circular bearingtype aperture in said top wall and terminating in a non-circular studportion, a rotor having an annular rim, and an integral hub portion withfour integral, radially extending blades, said four blades being rigidlysupported at to protect by Letters v Relerences, Citedlin.the .file othis,patent,.

in planes which define acute angles with the general plane UNITED STATESPATENTS of the rotor which is assembled horizontally relative to saidhousing, said hub portion of said rotor having a 743,635 Georg 1903vertical non-circular opening therethrough and detachably 5 1933399Heylman y 23, 1912 mounted upon said non-circular stud portion of saidsiaindte fer' rdtattan thfeviih in fephrise 't ihe'iintre- FOREIGNPATENTS duction of pressurized air into said tulie' for efieet ifig fw403,551 France Sept. 27, 1909 t'atidn 2st said'turhine wheel.

